BY Spencer Hansen
Staff Reporter
There was an unlikely hero in the Wildcats’ first GNAC title.
Senior outfielder Joe Castro has had a roller coaster season in 2014. He reached a high after being named the GNAC tournament MVP.
Castro hit a three-run homer on Friday to top Western Oregon and drew an RBI-walk and a key stolen base in the championship game on Saturday to lead the Wildcats to their first GNAC title in school history.
The Wildcats got off to a great start in their first game of the tournament by avenging a tough weekend at Saint Martin’s last weekend, upending the Saints, 2-0.
Brandon Williams took the ball and did what he’s done all year, dominate. Last week, Williams was named GNAC Pitcher of the Year and showed why; he struck out eight and walked none in a complete game effort.
The Wildcats got on the board in the first inning with a leadoff double from Cory Welch with Eric Tinnell following with an infield single that was thrown away and allowed Welch to score. Two batters later, Ethan Sterkel singled to drive in Tinnell.
Head coach Desi Storey also got win No. 500 at the helm.
In game two against Western Oregon, the Wildcats used three pitchers to get the win. Senior Kurtis Pitcher pitched four innings and was followed up by seniors Willie Davies and Skye Adams, who finished the last five frames.
The Cats jumped to an early 3-1 lead on Castro’s three-run blast, but WOU would tie it up in the seventh on a Nathan Etheridge RBI single. The Wildcats got some late thunder and burned the Wolves for three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.
Cory Welch came on in the ninth and shut the door for his conference-best 11th save and clinched a berth in the GNAC championship series for the second time in as many years.
Central went into Saturday only needing to win one game for their first title and they wasted no time.
Senior Stuart Fewel got the start and was outstanding. Fewel was economic with his pitch-count, throwing 95 pitches in seven innings with no walks and one strikeout. Despite just one strikeout, Fewel pitched to contact all day and scattered five hits and one earned run.
The Wildcats got on the board early when Western Oregon pitcher Eric Huson allowed two first inning walks.
Junior Kasey Bielec singled to left field and Josh Potter tacked on the first run with a single of his own. Bases-loaded walks by Zach Reay and Joe Castro gave the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage.
Central kept plugging away in the second when Welch and Tinnell each singled and put Huson in a tight spot. Sterkel drove in a run on an RBI groundout and Potter poked a single through the right side to plate Sterkel and gave the Wildcats separation at 5-0.
Central threatened in the fifth, loading the bases with two outs. Tinnell slashed a hit to left field to make the score 6-0, Bielec drew a walk for an RBI, and Sterkel capped the inning with a two-RBI single.
The Wolves got on the board in the seventh inning on a Tim Rausch single that scored Etheridge, for their lone run, Fewel’s day would be done after seven. Welch entered for the last two innings and closed the door on a 9-1 GNAC title clinching win.
“It’s a pretty good feeling, they worked hard all year,” Storey said.
The win marks the first GNAC conference championship in school history as Central had won a title during its years as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member school.
The Wildcats finish the season 31-18 as GNAC champions and no regional berth to their name. Forty eight teams make the national tournament which is comprised of 8 regions, each containing six teams. If the Wildcats would’ve been selected to the tournament, they would have participated in the West Regional tournament. Central was in the running for the final spot in the West, but the selection committee picked Sonoma State (Calif.) for last spot. All but one team in the West regional reside in California.
Coach Storey also mentioned that if that team had played better against San Francisco State earlier in the year and played better against Saint Martins, they might still be playing.
The Cats graduate 14 seniors including pitching mainstays Stuart Fewel, Skye Adams, Kurtis Pitcher, and Max Dickinson.
Although the Wildcats aren’t still playing, they have much to look forward to for next year; the GNAC Pitcher of the Year Brandon Williams returns, who led the team in wins and innings pitched. Closer and super-utility-man Cory Welch also returns who led the conference in saves (11) and ERA, at a miniscule 0.53. He surrendered just two earned runs all season. Welch was also part of the first-team All GNAC as a pitcher, and second-team as a shortstop.
